The Patriots signed the two offensive linemen to new contracts on Thursday.

Even with the NFL offseason in full swing, the New England Patriots are keeping busy. After parting ways with linebacker Sione Takitaki on Wednesday, the team re-signed a pair of offensive linemen on Thursday: offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs and center Ben Brown will both be back with the Patriots in 2025.

Jacobs and Brown were both headed for exclusive rights free agency. Instead, they put their signatures under one-year tenders in order to stay put rather than enter the open market in mid-March.

Let’s assess what the signings...

The Patriots hope Mike Vrabel can turn the franchise around, and the betting market also is getting ahead of the narrative.

Vrabel is expected to mold New England in his vision. That will take key decisions in free agency and the NFL draft, but the 2021 Coach of the Year will bring high expectations.

Those expectations resulted in him being the favorite to win Coach of the Year in the 2025 NFL season at 6-1. It might seem outlandish, but there is a clear case for him.

“I’m not surprised by Vrabel being one of the favorites,” NESN’s George Balekji...

The Patriots will return each member of their starting offensive line in 2025.

Don’t shoot the messenger!

Demontrey Jacobs and Ben Brown agreed to new contracts with New England, as pointed out by Joseph Pasteris on X. The NFLPA confirmed the new contract figures, with Jacobs retained for $960k and Brown retained for $1.03 million on one-year deals.

Jacobs and Brown were both exclusive rights free agents, which are players with two or fewer seasons of service time whose contracts expired. The Patriots have now retained four of their five ERFAs, with Jacobs and Brown joining JaQuae Jackson and Jeremiah...

Brown and Jacobs were both exclusive rights free agents.

The New England Patriots have locked up some familiar offensive line depth for another year.

Exclusive rights free agents Ben Brown and Demontrey Jacobs have both agreed to terms on new deals with the club. Brown’s one-year pact will carry a value of $1.03 million with Jacobs’ worth $960k.

Joining the team off of the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad last October, Brown was immediately thrown into the fire as the starting center in Drake Maye’s rookie debut. The 26-year old went on to start 10 games at center for the...

Daily news and links for Thursday.

TEAM TALK

• Transaction: Patriots release LB Sione Takitaki.
• Key dates on the 2025 NFL and Patriots calendar.
• Patriots Catch-22: NFL Scouting Combine preview. (2 hours)
• 2004 - Yes, It’s A Dynasty. Episode I: Reloaded (40 min. video) — Episode II: The regular season (52 min. video) — Episode III: The road through the AFC (40 min. video).

LOCAL LINKS

• Andrew Callahan reports the Patriots are scheduled to have at least $124 million in cap space heading into the 2025 league year.
• Mark Daniels points out how the NFL’s...

Josh Allen’s dominance over the Patriots isn’t lost on Patriots fans, and it’s not a secret to those closest to him.

Allen didn’t earn a championship ring in the postseason, but he did propose to his now-fiancée Hailee Steinfeld in November. The Buffalo Bills quarterback and Marvel star added to the growing list of celebrity couples in sports that is headlined by Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

Naturally, people will want to test one of the partner’s knowledge of the other’s profession, and Steinfeld did that in a “Who What Wear” video posted Wednesday. The Academy Award nominee [took a...

Elliss was one of the lone defensive bright spots last season.

The New England Patriots have already restructured their coaching staff for the second consecutive offseason. Now it is time for the real work with an expected overhaul of the roster coming.

Free agency will be a key part of this process. And while adding external players to the mix will undoubtably happen with over $125 million in projected cap space, there are also a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. Following a series of moves, 14 remain in need of a new contract prior to free...

The Patriots make a commitment to their trenches in this new NFL mock draft.

With the bowl games behind us and the NFL Scouting Combine quickly approaching, now is a good time to release another seven-round mock draft. In this one, the New England Patriots make a commitment to the trenches, but also add some playmakers on both offense and defense.

One quick note: After each pick, I have also listed a prospect’s consensus rank according to the NFL Mock Draft Database, which helps put the selections into some contest. So, with that said, let’s get right into it.

Round...

The Patriots parted ways with the veteran linebacker on Wednesday.

The New England Patriots and Sione Takitaki will go their separate ways in 2025. The team announced releasing the veteran linebacker on Wednesday afternoon, cutting his tenure in New England short halfway through the two-year free agency pact he signed last offseason.

What does the move mean from a big-picture perspective, though? Let’s take a closer look at it to find out.

Underwhelming return on investment

As noted above, the Patriots acquired Takitaki via a two-year contract in last year’s free agency. That pact came at a total value...

If former NFL front office executive and ESPN analyst Loius Riddick closes his eyes, he can envision a specific draft prospect playing for the New England Patriots.

“You can see him in a Patriots uniform,” Riddick said to NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry on “The Next Pats Podcast.”

So, who exactly is Riddick talking about?

None other than Norwell, Mass., native and Boston College product Ozzy Trapilo. Trapilo starred at offensive tackle for the Eagles, which certainly is a position of need for the Patriots.

Trapilo spent five seasons with the Eagles and turned into a three-year starter for BC...

The New England Patriots need to add talent across the board this offseason.

Even with a star like Christian Gonzalez leading the position group, New England needs more at cornerback. If the team goes the free agent route, it shouldn’t need to look too far.

ESPN listed cornerback D.J. Reed as the fourth-best free agent with the Patriots as a “best fit” team. Reed and Sauce Gardner formed a formidable duo in the secondary with the New York Jets. Reed could easily bring that tandem energy to New England to team up with Gonzalez.

The 28-year-old posted production at three...

The Patriots are expected to undergo a complete overhaul with Mike Vrabel at the helm, which should mean few people’s jobs should be safe.

Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez fit the bill under the exceptions to that philosophy. But how New England approaches this offseason could make or break the franchise.

After discussing the franchise tag market with NESN.com’s Sean McGuire on the latest “Foxboro Rush” podcast, NESN’s George Balekji and Travis Thomas took a quick look at the running back room.

Given this week’s Tee Higgins report, Thomas believes upgrading at running back should be a bigger priority. One...